This invention relates to weights as may be employed for foundry sand molds, and more particularly to a segmented mold weight.
The use of weights upon foundry sand molds is not uncommon to prevent the upper part or cope of the mold from welling up or breaking out when molten metal is being poured or cast to fill the mold cavity. Generally, such mold weights are flat, made in one piece, and are designed for a specific mold to have openings vertically aligned with the sprues through which the molten metal is to be poured. During the casting procedure, moisture is driven from the mold and trapped beneath the one-piece solid weight. The moisture causes sand to stick to or cake upon the engaging face of the mold weight. Unless that sand is removed, the weight may not seat properly on the next mold, allowing the cope of the mold to lift and fill all noncontacting surfaces of the weight to possibly give rise to some distortion in the resulting casting. It is generally an object of this invention to provide a segmented mold weight which is capable of "flexing" and transmission of vibration among the segments thereof to facilitate clean-off of any caked sand thereon. The mold weights of this invention are particularly adapted for use in combination with the mold jackets as disclosed in the automated foundry arrangement of U.S. Pat. No. 4,299,269 assigned to the common assignee of the present application.